This isn’t an isolated example of art being put in harm’s way for the sake of a photo. Local public relations firm Bay Bird Inc. was recently admonished for climbing, without permission, atop a piece of artwork at Bread and Salt for a photo opp. And at SDSU Downtown Gallery’s opening of We Are Here/ Estamos Aquí, some selfie-takers got too close to the unframed works of art, against the warning of gallery employees. SDSU Downtown Gallery Director Chantel Paul says such accidents happen on a near-weekly basis.

These instances document the increased sense of ownership visitors feel over their gallery experience, which could be due to interactive art exhibits that propagate Instagram culture.

“I have seen a trend in artworks that seemed to be ‘selfie’ oriented,” wrote local artist Thomas DeMello in an email. He lists Wonderspaces and Rain Room at LACMA among such exhibits. “As an art viewer, I tend to avoid spectacle or art that is billed as more of a attraction. Standing in line or paying a special ticket price to see a special attraction in a gallery or museum just seems silly and insincere.”

Regardless of whether an exhibit is intentionally curated for Kodak potential, visitors have inserted selfies into the gallery experience. Paul notes the Panca exhibit at Bread and Salt was photogenic, as well as Lee Materazzi’s PLaY at Quint Gallery, but she doesn’t believe selfie culture is “consciously on the forefront of those venues’ minds.”

She adds, “There’s always going to be a population who wants to be seen as being cool or in the know or having a great social experience somewhere. That’s always going to be a part of kind of selfie culture as long as we have cameras in our pockets virtually everywhere we go.”

But it’s not all bad. The SDSU Downtown Gallery actually encourages photo sharing and location tagging.

“I do not see it disrupting visitors, but generally I feel like it’s a positive way for people to connect or to remember their experience,” Paul says. “And if that makes it more memorable, then it’s okay as long as the artwork is not harmed in the process.”